Most of us have helped friends move and rewarded our friends who've helped with pizza and beer but few extend the concept to other times when extra hands can get the job done much more quickly and help bond with our friends and family.

Trent at personal finance weblog The Simple Dollar relates that he made a lot of friends the first week of college by asking others if they needed help moving. The hours of work he put in were rewarded by making several friends who later invited him out for meals and social events.

Work parties are nothing new—the Amish and other cultures have had barn raisings for centuries and most of us are familiar with the phrase many hands make light work. The next time you have a large project and could use helpers consider adding in a cookout and a keg and making it an event on Facebook. Photo by the US Navy